ACI World proposes new Airport Health Measures Audit Programme

Airports Council International (ACI) World has announced a partnership with Bureau Veritas – a world leader in testing, inspection and certification – to propose to airports, all around the world, an Audit Programme to ensure the proper implementation of appropriate health and safety measures.

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought airports to a virtual standstill. To support the airport industry’s recovery, a commitment to the health and welfare of travellers, staff and the public is key.

The Airport Health Measures Audit Programme aims to support airport operators by addressing their specific risks and by reassuring passengers. The on-site audits – conducted by Bureau Veritas – and the associated SafeGuard^TM label will enable airports to demonstrate their compliance with a harmonised set of measures, aligned with the recommendations of national and international authorities.

ACI World’s Director General, Luis Felipe de Oliveira, said: “As an addition to our Airport Health Accreditation Programme, this partnership with Bureau Veritas will provide airports with the benefit of the rigor and precision of a robust physical audit of their processes. It illustrates to passengers, regulators and governments that they are prioritising health and safety. Bureau Veritas has the international experience and expertise to provide audits to verify that safety and hygiene protective and preventative measures related to COVID-19 are set up and implemented based upon international and national recommendations.”

“This partnership is another example of ACI’s intention to work with the industry to support recovery. Sustainable social and economic development can thus be delivered to the communities we serve. Partnerships will support the aviation industry and help to push it forward during the recovery process and beyond,” he added.

Antoine Blin, Director of the Aeronautics & Space Agency at Bureau Veritas, added: “We are proud to work with ACI to support the airport industry recovery through a solution fostering passengers’ trust. For several months now, the SafeGuard^TM label has been successfully implemented in a large number of companies across various industries and geographies. Our global network of auditors has extensive experience in health and safety requirements and is able to mobilise worldwide. With our label, today, we have the ability to meet the new expectations of our society in terms of health and safety.”

The SafeGuard^TM label addresses specific risks to all places where people live and work, providing a continuous reference to travellers along their journey. It means that teams have been effectively trained on hygiene best practices and assures that protective measures are properly set up and implemented in a transparent way.

For this partnership with ACI, Bureau Veritas has developed a dedicated checklist to cover all of the processes of an airport, from management to operations, which is deployed through an on-site audit. Health, safety and air transport experts all contributed to the creation of this airport-specific checklist.

Airports that successfully complete the process will be able to display the SafeGuard^TM label to communicate this achievement to passengers, staff and the public on a dedicated website.